On the first page of the preliminary statement, it’s clear that the horsemen will hit even harder on the 20-year-old horsetrading, as it were, that led to Nevada (and three other states, to a limited degree) being exempted from the sports betting ban in spite of supporters’ insistence that this was a nationwide problem:

“PASPA yielded to special interest groups and exempted four States from its commands – Nevada, Delaware, Montana, and Oregon,” the horsemen say.

Why the horsemen need to intervene in this case: “[B]efore making the substantial investment in time and money needed to open its Sports Betting venue, the [horsemen's group] needs to be certain that PASPA is not enforceable.”

fighting words: “If PASPA is constitutional then 46 states have become federal quasi-colonies, conscripted by the federal government into federal service for the purpose of implementing and enforcing a moral judgment made by the federal government and codified in PASPA.”

more: “The collection of potential plaintiffs authorized by PASPA to sue disobedient states is expansive…”

How expansive is PASPA? It covers not only the NFL, NCAA, and other major leagues, the horsemen’s attorneys say, but also “organizers of local amateur bowling leagues, coordinators of amateur softball tournaments, sponsors of local amateur golf outings, organizers of ping pong matches, schedulers of hot dog eating contests, etc..”

Sign of the times? “PASPA was enacted in an era during which the Supreme Court had unwisely abdicated responsibility for judicially reviewing the constitutionality of federal laws, passed under the Commerce Clause, that invaded the sovereign rights of the States.”

The horsemen refer to 1992 comments by Republican Senator Orrin Hatch that “essentially blamed the power of special interest groups for the four-State exemption.” They also note that New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg – then and now, but not always in between – had said back then: “In my view, this is a matter that should be left to the State and the people of New Jersey.” Iowa Senator Charles Grassley is also quoted as grumbling about the exceptions.

If PASPA is legal, the horsemen say, then Congress also could limit, say, “tomato growing to New Jersey.” There’s even a reference here to the book/movie “Hunger Games,” where “each separate district is responsible for a particular industry dictated by the wealthy central capital.”